Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist
Introduction
From a despised tax-collector, appraised no higher than a public sinner or a pagan, Matthew becomes an apostle. He is living proof that Jesus came to call sinners. And among the apostles, he is one of the two who witnessed to Christ not only with their life and work but also their writing. He is with us today to strengthen our faith. He shows how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Scriptures and how our communities today, like his long ago, have to put the Good News of Jesus into practice.
Opening Prayer
Lord God of mercy,
you show us today,
in your apostle and evangelist Matthew,
how you put the self-righteous to shame
and call sinners to the task
of bringing your Son’s Good News to the world.
Forgive us our pride and reassure us,
that we can count on you and your love
because we are weak and sinful people.
Let us share in your message and life
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reading 1: Eph 4:1-7, 11-13
Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace:
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the Body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 19:2-3, 4-5
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Alleluia — See
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mt 9:9-13
As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
He heard this and said,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
Intentions
– For the Church, a community of saints and sinners, that we, the People of God and our leaders, may not condemn those who have failed, but with God give them new chances in life, we pray:
– For people who have failed and no longer believe in themselves, in God or in the community, that they may draw new hope from our compassion and understanding, we pray:
– For priests and religious, that they may keep trusting in the Lord who called them notwithstanding their human frailty; that with Christ they may care especially for the poor and the weak, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, merciful Father,
your Son, Jesus Christ, was eating
with tax collectors and sinners
because they needed him.
We bring this bread and this wine before you,
that he may sit at table with us
because we too, need him.
Accept his sacrifice and ours,
so that sins may be forgiven
and that we may live in your love,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, merciful Father,
through your Son in our midst,
help us to be mild and compassionate
without condemning anyone,
for you have been gentle to us.
And do not let us boast
of our human achievements,
for we owe everything
to your grace and your call
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” Let these words change our attitude toward people, also toward ourselves, and make us mild and understanding to everyone, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Reflection:
September 21; 24th Thursday in Ordinary Time
Saint Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist – Feast
Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13 and Mt 9:9-13
You cannot be the same
In God’s sight, everyone is so precious and priceless treasure without any discrimination. God always loves us irrespective of the state or situation we are in. He loves us even when we are sinners and calls us to participate in his mission. We may be unworthy when we are called but once we are called, God wants us to become worthy of our call. The feast of St. Matthew teaches us exactly this. The Jews believed that they belonged to God and that they were obliged to pay tax only to God and to no one else. So, they hated paying taxes to the Romans, the foreigners and “the pagans”. Those who were collecting taxes for the Romans not only collected taxes from the citizens and paid to the foreigners but they also exploited and cheated the poor by collecting more than what was due in order to get more commission. Since Matthew was doing exactly this, he was hated greatly by the fellow Jews as traitor and exploiter. But see the compassionate attitude and sympathetic look of Jesus! Jesus loved him. Beyond his profession, Jesus saw the person Matthew and all that he was going through in him. The moment Matthew experienced the love of Jesus, the compassionate look of Jesus, he left immediately his job of collecting taxes for the Romans and became a new person, a new creation and committed himself totally for the mission. You cannot be the same after encountering Jesus!